Saturday, 16 February 2013

EAGLES: SUPER! SUPERB!! SUPERIOR!!!

Writing
about the AFCON 2013 after the Super Eagles triumph would seem such an easy task,
but only for the hypocrites. To see people make a 360 degrees detour from
calling them “Super Chickens” to “Super Eagles”, and to watch “the undisputed draw-masters”
become “the true kings of Africa” in 7 days is an intrigue Kim Kardashian will
dream of having on her Reality TV show. It was just as if the Eagles were
waiting for the completion of the Knockout Stages to really display all the great
qualities that sets them apart from other avians: vision, aggression, agility,
decisiveness, and flair. The Eagles did not just win the the knockout stage
matches by the scoreline, they equally won by the performance. They were truly
deserving champions after dominating Zambia - the defending champions; Cote D’Ivoire
– the pre-tournament clear favourites; Mali – a tournament favourite; and
Burkina Faso – the conqueror of Ghana (a pre-tournament favourite). The vigour
with which I criticized the Eagles when they looked like they have lost their
wings is the same vigour with which I have to surpass now that they are soaring
higher than our imagination.

Expectedly,
just as I projected, the competition opened up in the last round of group stage
matches and it never went back to sleep. Highlights of the tournament include debutantes
Cape Verde bracing all the odds to make it to the knockout stage; defending
champions Zambia crashing out in the first round; all the North African
representatives crashing out in the first round; Cote D’Ivoire crashing out against
Nigeria without a fight; Nigeria mauling Mali in the Semi Final; and Nigeria deservedly
winning the competition having outplayed all their opponents and outscored all
the other teams in the competition. It was extremely impressive and highly jingoistic
to see Sunday Oliseh on DSTV wearing the garment of an analyst, a job he handled
with the same dexterity with which he manned the midfield the last time the
Super Eagles won the Trophy in Tunisia ’94.

Amid
the euphoria, we must not lose sight of the shortcomings of AFCON 2013: the Mbombela
stadium at Nelspruit should never have been part of the competition, not even
as a training pitch; most of the Referees at the competition needs to be
investigated for ties with betting syndicates because it seemed they were hell-bent
on determining the winners and not adjudicating the contests; and lastly,
information sharing should be handled more effectively to avoid accusations and
insinuations that continues to negatively impact the integrity of CAF and the AFCON
itself.

Two
thumbs-up to Stephen “Big Boss” Keshi for once again achieving beyond all
expectations. He has written his name into the history books of African
football. After qualifying unknown Togo for the FIFA World Cup, and leading Togo
and Mali to the Nations Cup albeit with less success, this competition provided
an opportunity to redeem his image, but he did more than that, he actually
cemented his status as a Coach to be reckoned with in Africa. He stood his
ground, chose his team on merit and relevance rather than reputation, stuck to
his ideals even when results were not forthcoming, tweaked his tactics when necessary
while others were tweeting, motivated his lads, and the AFCON trophy is a
testament to his ingenuity. The players really deserve kudos for playing their
hearts out and immersing themselves into the tasks, this was the tournament
where Mikel came of age for Nigeria, where Emenike, Mba, Omeruo, Oboabona,
Onazi, Ogude and Ideye announced themselves to Nigerians, where Enyeama once
again proved his importance to the Super Eagles; and where the Super Eagles reignited
the passion and belief in Nigeria.

In
the end, we have to give it to the Bard of Stratford-upon-Avon, his timeless
saying “all is well that ends well” also rings true here because Jacob Zuma is
presently grinning from ear to ear as he got more than he wished for with African
countries actually winning the top three prizes: Nigeria won the Gold,
Burkina-Faso made do with the Silver, Mali grabbed the Bronze; and Ghana with
all the aiding and abetting by Referees went back home with empty bottles of Alomo
Bitters!!!